


A Conversation With the Eternal

by Megane



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Afterlife, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Cunnilingus, F/M, Finding Long Lost Happiness, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sad and Happy, Sex, Threesome - F/M/M, Wish Fulfillment, life in the afterlife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:07:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29571507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megane/pseuds/Megane
Summary: The Lifestream welcomed him, called for him, embraced him. He could feel Gaia’s love, and wow, there was so much to receive. Though there were no bodies present, he felt as if dozens and dozens of hands were patting his back; he could hear millions of voices telling him everything was alright now. They told him many things, those dozens and millions. They told him that life was meant to be gift, even though the hardships that came were punishing. But the Planet wanted the best for everyone, for him. The whispers began asking him many things, chief among them was one question he felt he had waited his whole life to answer:What do you want?
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	A Conversation With the Eternal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [neon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/neon/gifts).



> Thank you for your support during the winter crisis. You are a gift wrapped in springtime thawing out the frost.
> 
> To everyone else, I hope you enjoy.

Things were… quiet for a while. It was a deep and heavy sleep, but Cloud felt _rested_. It was a novelty that took him a long time to get used to, but he found enjoyment in it. When he opened his eyes, though, he was staring at the sky. But he wasn’t himself. He knew that without looking. His entire body, whatever it was, felt as if it was lighter than air. He was one with the Planet with every breath he took, with every thought he had. He pushed up onto what should have been his feet. When he looked down at himself, he was a shapeless body of light with only vague extensions that could have counted, in some way, as limbs. It dawned on him then what had happened, but not where he _was_. He felt the light of himself bend and curl like fingers would have. The short grass around him blew, carrying the voices of the Planet—of those who passed and who still lived yet—to him.

_Find your peace._

Cloud looked away from himself and looked forward. Further down into the valley, he could see the grass raising by inches. He could see flowers pop up here and there along the way, too. So he moved in that direction. His gifted body absorbed the sunlight, feeling warmed by it, healed by it. _Empowered_ by it. His shapelessness began to mold under the careful eye of the sun. He could hear footsteps now and soon realised they were his own. The vague protrusions grew and lengthened. He became a silhouette of a person, still made of light and the Planet’s love. He was made of his own memories — _his_ memories. He stuttered his step and stopped to take stock of himself.

He could remember things. _Everything_ —his upbringing, a stray cat he informally adopted, songs in Old Nibel he had learned as a child, promises he made Tifa long before SOLDIER. He remembered Shinra, yes, and his time there with painful clarity. Only… it didn’t hurt; there was no _pain_ here. He just remembered all of the things that eluded him for so long. If anything, he had closure. Finally, _finally…_ Cloud looked away from the hand-shaped light connected to his slowly forming body and continued on. Further and further, the Planet was coaxing him forward.

No, not just the Planet and not the voices that made themselves home on the wind and in the flowers. There was something deeper tugging him forward. It was a bond, a promise. It made his steps a little faster. It pushed him forward. He could feel the grass now; it must have rained the night before. Everything felt damp.

His steps only slowed when he came to his destination. The valley opened out into a cul-de-sac of nature. The grass was lush here. There were flowers of different types here—some on bushes, some on vines, others at home rooted in the dirt. There were tall trees here, providing shade where they were standing. Looking up, he could even see a waterfall feeding into a nearby lake. But what caught and kept his attention was a three-storey house. It was quaint as Aerith’s home in Sector Five had been, but it was different in certain shades. It looked more handmade, more carefully crafted. There was love in every piece of wood and in every piece of decoration that cluttered up the porch.

 _Go_ , he heard in the flowers. He could feel it in his soul, in the soles of his feet which had come into being. He moved forward, motivated by this body and by a profound curiosity that took him. He felt something here. Not just something, _someone_.

…s. _Someones?_

The front door opened, and out came a laughing man. He ran forward a couple of steps. His right hand held the door open, and his left smoothed back his wild black hair. He looked over his shoulder, beaming at a beautiful brunette who sauntered up behind him. They had a brief exchange before she dramatically lifted her hands and shoved at his back, moving him out into this expansive garden.

Cloud continued to move faster and faster. He wasn’t running, not yet, not full out. But he was closing the space between them with a desperation he never felt before. The light flaked off his skin, dancing away like ethereal embers. Away from his hands, which were old brown fingerless gloves covered his hands. Away from his body, which was covered by a white cowl-neck shirt. They revealed black pants that were rolled up around his knees and also brown boots, which protected his feet. His hair was a paler blond now, which seemed silky in the sunlight; his skin, in a breath, was new and unmarred. His eyes stung with unshed tears.

He remembered. _He remembered_.

The two figures looked at him. They were as young as they were in death. No, younger maybe by a couple of years. Zack’s face was blank for a moment before a big, puppy grin overtook his features. Aerith stepped to his side and swung her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly. They called to him in spirit. He could feel them in that bond.

_Cloud…_

_Cloud!_

He was running now, _sprinting_ towards them. He was grasping for them and only catching air. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He kept himself from sobbing until his body found both of theirs. They hugged him. Zack squeezed him as if he wanted to absorb all of Cloud’s sunlight for himself. Aerith reached up to stroke through his hair. She smiled at him, letting him have his tears, and then leaned forward to press a kiss into his hair.

“Welcome home,” she greeted.

Cloud nodded before he pulled away to look at them with teary eyes. He smiled; it was so easy now. _It didn’t even hurt…!_

“I’m… I’m home.”

Weeks passed. Cloud was aware with a knowledge that transcended his own senses. The passage of time was brought to him on the wind. How many weeks, how many days — he even knew down to the hour and the minute. But it didn’t matter. For once, losing track of time didn’t feel like a failure of his own mind. He let go of the hours and sunrises and sunsets. Only a spark of curiosity made him reach out to ask, but it wasn’t often enough for him to care.

Over time, Zack and Aerith taught him more about the world he found himself in. They gave advice and answered his questions, but they never gave him more than he could process in a day. What reason did they have to rush, after all. Aerith gave him a lay of the land and took long walks with him to point out small details he never noticed before. When entering their little cul-de-sac, there was a dent against the right side of the wall where one of the trees was struck by lightning and fell over. It was a memory that had jumped to life one night when it had rained her, she had explained to him, but nothing of value was lost. They recovered the tree and used its seeds to plant a few more in the area.

She even guided him on how to add his own shape and dimension to the world. When he seemed hesitant to try, she spun around to stand in front of him and splayed her fingers over his chest.

“Don’t listen to me. Listen to _this_.” She pressed her palm down over his heart.

Cloud froze, feeling more worry flood through him. His instincts, he could trust. His own experiences had never failed him. But… h-his heart? Maybe it was the concern on his face; maybe it was the uptick of his pulse, maybe she could just sense it, but Aerith smiled up at him patiently. Her eyes searched his as she whispered to him,

“You can do it, Cloud.” She believed it, and so did he.

He nodded and clasped a hand over hers, closing his eyes and… willing his desire into being. He wouldn’t know yet whether he had succeeded; what he wanted took dimension far off from where he could see it. He wasn’t ready to face it, to see it manifest, but he would be in time.

Zack, on the other hand, gave Cloud practical tasks to focus on. He gave Cloud a detailed tour of the house; he brought up his laundry list of things to do, not that he expected Cloud to memorise any of it. He gave lessons on how to mix paint and haul trees and how to filter out the water they used from the lake. They worked out together almost every day. Cloud could pick out the odd Shinra standard rep here and there, but most of it was of Zack’s own making. They spent a lot of time in Zack’s shed where Cloud got an enthusiastic overview of how everything was laid out. There was an old truck parked on one side of the shed, and an outdoor shower posted on the other. Whenever they were nearby, Zack would lean against his truck when talking with Cloud. It was clear that it was his pride and joy.

“Put it together myself!” he said with a pat to the hood. A memory broadened his smile all the more. “Aerith helped every now and again, and it was really cute how she’d get oil smudges on her face. Ah.” He leaned in and shielded his mouth from invisible onlookers. “Don’t tell her I said that.”

Cloud smiled, unable to stop himself. He shook his head all the same. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Once he seemed to be secure and once most of his nerves seemed to have calmed, the pair even left Cloud on his own a few times. He didn’t know where they had gone for hours at a time, but he took the silence in stride. He took his own walks, following the worn path from Zack’s shed to the mouth of the valley. Once, he dared further on his own, walking all the way out until he could see a meadow in the distance. The sight touched his heart for some reason. There were beautiful open plains stretched out before him. Birds and small creatures flitted about, completely ignorant of his gaze. It was like a dream. He tucked his hands in his pockets, standing there for a while yet before he turned around and headed home. _Home_ —he’d never get tired of thinking that.

They all had their own independent routines, but it was a bonding experience for them to find tasks to do together. For a time, it was Cloud interacting with them in pairs, sharing his own memories with them and laughing when they gifted him with jokes. The life he lived before was becoming yet another memory. Distant but never hazy. A smile found his lips when Aerith was picking flowers. He stared up at the flowers as he felt himself fully embracing his new life, ready to set all of his pain and past aside. Though he wasn’t aware of it yet, Aerith was watching him over her shoulder, smiling at him.

Morning was perhaps Cloud’s favourite time of day when they would talk about their dreams the night before while they all made breakfast. He was usually stuck with mixing batter or retrieving ingredients. Aerith always played music; Zack always tried to get them to dance with him. Aerith did so with ease, bumping their hips and laughing brightly when she couldn’t commit to a full body number. Cloud wasn’t sure when he started to follow the other man’s lead, but when he allowed himself to be spun around, he would never forget the brightness on Zack’s face. His joy was a beacon, and Cloud was drawn to it every time.

Moments like that reminded him how his heart skipped being with either of them. His feelings had been there for a while, right from the very start. When he was held in their arms, he wanted to stay there forever. It was a perfect ending for him; it was everything he could have hoped for, maybe more. But when they smiled at him, when they reminded him often how happy they were to have him, Cloud felt himself wanting to run. But not out of shame, not out of terror. Just… how was he supposed to compete with that? They were so honest, so gentle and giving. Their words were an open hand waiting for him to reach out and receive.

Cloud thought about ways to approach them over and over as he sat on an outcropping, twisting a sprig of juniper between his fingers. This area had inadvertently become his go-to spot. His feet always carried him here whenever he needed to think for a while, and he was always within easy view of the porch. When it came to things like this, he was never good at planning. It was easier for him to act in the moment as that was how so many things were sprung upon him. In the moment, in the now. Cloud was always a sink or swim type, but now that he could paddle freely, he could mull over the different ways he could match their honesty.

He chewed his lip thinking about it, but as he dove deeper and deeper into his own feelings, he knew that there was nothing else better for him to do. He would act on spontaneity, making sure to feel out the timing first before putting himself into motion. It was the best bet and the safest one too. And if he was acting in the spirit of his own interests, “safe” was the best thing he had here. He was patient for a while, letting time pass so long he forgot his own nerves.

His first movement happened after Aerith had left for a while, citing other business she had to attend to outside of the valley. Zack was still working on the ground, making a small fencing for small flowers that recently came into bloom. Cloud was swimming in the lake, naked. It had been a hot day, and he couldn’t focus on his own tasks. It was a surprise when he woke up one morning to see Fenrir parked nearby, but he got used to it quickly. It was a relief, almost, to have his swords nearby. He could polish them and care for them now on his outcrop. It was an added bit of peace, but today just wasn’t the day for any of that. He swam until he cooled down, and even then, he relished the cold water around his body. It was so easy to close his eyes and float there, basking in the sun, and he allowed himself to do so for a while. He was content just like this—he was content in many ways—but eventually, he pulled himself out and headed to the outdoor shower.

There was soap in a dish on a shelf that Zack had made as well as a bottle of shampoo. On a different self were other toiletries, which were divided by colour coordinated cups. Cloud washed himself thoroughly before spinning around towards the open doorway. He opened his eyes slightly as he smoothed his wet hair back away from his face. He should have grabbed a towel, he realised, even if he just going to sunbathe. And their bond, as undeniable as it was, came to his rescue. It wasn’t long before Zack’s heavy footsteps came his way. With them came Zack with a a fluffy white towel draped over his arm. At first, he crossed the doorway without looking and set the item down on the little table outside. But when he lifted his head and saw that Cloud was not only facing him but looking at him, he slowed his steps. In silence, they looked at each other. Cloud felt his heart start to race under the other man’s watch. Zack took a step forward and moved himself into the doorway, merely looking at Cloud. Up and down, slowly like that.

Cloud took in a breath through parted lips before moving forward as well. He reached out to curl his fingers in Zack’s button down shirt, and he coaxed the man closer. Closer… down… Cloud closed his eyes when their lips pressed together. Finally, _finally_. Zack set a hand on Cloud’s lower back, not minding or caring that the blond was still wet. The first touch of lips was chaste and perhaps even the second, but the kisses that followed left Cloud suitably breathless. Zack peppered kisses down the expanse of Cloud’s neck, and it was hard to ignore how hard his heart was hammering. They parted, and it was clear to see the want in Zack’s eyes. But this was enough for now. Just for now. Cloud patted Zack’s chest with both hands before shoving him backwards out of the shower stall. Zack laughed and caught himself easily. He watched Cloud shut off the water and then step out to grab the towel. Their eyes caught again as Cloud dried his hair. That up and down look didn’t escape Cloud’s notice either, but the raven-haired man only smiled again before silently taking his leave.

With Aerith, it was only a little different. Perhaps in that he had clothes on this time. He took her outside of the valley himself. In the time he had spent here, he hadn’t gone very far out before. She was more than happy to be his guide. She rode side saddle on Fenrir with a basket hooked on her arm. Her dress had been carefully tucked and pinned under her legs, so he didn’t outright protest. He wasn’t driving very fast to begin with. That and Aerith said that there was something she wanted to see.

“I don’t want to miss it,” she said confidently before they took off.

Cloud didn’t have to wait very long to find out what she meant.

He stopped the bike out of his own shock, lowering a foot down to keep them both balanced. There off to the side was a mechanic’s building, a two floor workshop that looked as beaten down as any building in Midgar. It stood out on its own in the meadow, cropped by rocks and bushes of flowers. There was a tree, perhaps as old as the building was, that had a tool belt draped over one of the branches. Knowing exactly where it was, Cloud’s eyes found the sign. It had to be the best looking thing on the building, even with as weather-beaten as it was.

 _Cloud Nine Service & Repairs_.

Aerith looked at him expectantly, a knowing smile on her lips. “Wanna go inside?”

Cloud felt the emotion catch in his throat and choke just for a second. He shook his head dumbfounded before finding the will to say, “Let’s… do your thing first.”

“Hmm. Okay!” Aerith slid from the bike first before rearranging herself properly behind him. She hooked her arms around him, the basket tilted against her thigh. Cloud gave the building one last long look before revving Fenrir’s engine and taking off again.

They stopped in the middle of nowhere in as far as Cloud was concerned. From here, he could spot a town a bit off from where they were. It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes away if he was measuring the distance correctly. He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded to himself. His gaze lowered down to watch as Aerith picked her new bouquet. There were flora here that didn’t grow in their valley, and although she had picked a couple to add into their garden, she claimed to like the variety out here better. Cloud knew, in his own way, that he felt the same.

He had learned the name of some flowers since he began life here almost a year ago. He could point out rhododendrons and lilies and tree peonies. Sunflowers were a given and so were daisies. He did see one that caught his attention, so he pushed away from Fenrir to go get it. It was different from the other daisies, but it was in that same family. If memory served him right, this was… a gerbera; the insides of its petals were yellow that faded into a brilliant red. He had read about this once in one of the many almanacs they kept in the house. He twisted the flower between his fingers as he made himself comfortable against his bike again.

Without looking, he could tell that Aerith was coming closer. There was a jauntiness in her step as she closed the distance between them.

“Got everything?”

“Mhm!” Aerith stuck her hand into the basket, counting everything off. Afterward, she began to pull a folded cloth and twin from within.

Cloud looked up to stare at her face. He admired her in silence for a few brief seconds before he said, “C’mere.”

“Hm?” Aerith looked away from her task. “What is it?”

Thankfully, she didn’t need for him to repeat himself. She stepped closer without a problem. Cloud reached up to coax her hair aside, just feeling the softness of her under his fingers. And then, he tucked the flower behind her ear. Beautiful. He knew it would be, but it only highlighted Aerith’s natural charm. He couldn’t say something like that out loud, at least not the way he wanted, but from the way Aerith smiled at him, it didn’t matter if he could. She knew what it all meant.

He lowered one hand down, but the other slid from the flower to her cheek, to her jaw. He thumbed across her cheek and felt himself relax under her gaze. He saw Aerith’s shoulders relax as well, and her smile was softer now. So filled with love and adoration that Cloud’s face felt hot just looking at it. But he received it with all the silent grace he had. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Like with Zack, it was a chastity that gave way. Slowly melting the longer they touched. She gifted him with sunlight; he felt himself bloom out towards her. Cloud pulled her closer, and their bodies touched. He felt like they were one single entity made of sunlight and love. So much love, and not just the Planet’s but their own. She set the basket on the seat behind him, and they lost time in each other like this.

Cloud pulled back, breathing softly against her lips. Aerith smiled against his. “I was waiting for this,” she admitted, “for a while.”

“...You were?”

She nodded. She looked up to meet his eyes. “It’s hard not to fall for you, Cloud.”

He pulled back now, knowing that he was blushing up to his ears. Even still, he didn’t look away. Verbal honesty wasn’t his strong suit, but he couldn’t leave it at that. “Speak for yourself,” was all he had to say. And she knew what he meant. Even without the bond, she knew what he truly meant.

The natural movements of them living together allowed the three to find more time together. Cloud expected it to be hard at first, for things to be awkward. He expected to feel like a wedge in their healthy duo, but instead, he fit in like the missing piece of a puzzle. Right in the middle as their happy third.

And those first kisses opened the way for more. When any of them left the valley for a while, when any of them came down for breakfast, when the mood simply took them, there was a kiss or two waiting. Sometimes, soft lips touched knuckles, or a knowing smile dotted a kiss right against the raising pulse on a slender wrist. Cloud found himself wanting for this affection like a bleeding wound needed healing. And with their patience and their time, any part of him the Lifestream didn’t mend stitched itself back together. Their kisses were the final cure. He wanted for them, ached for them.

So, it wasn’t any wonder when he found himself one night properly aching. The moonlight drifted in through his bedroom window, and because of it, he could see his own erection pressed against the thin covers. Cloud flushed with embarrassment before pressing an arm over his eyes. It wasn’t that he wasn’t ready for this — Gaia knew that wasn’t the case. But with everything so easy and carefree between them, he didn’t want to ruin things by his sudden desire for a more physical closeness.

That besides, he hadn’t… heard Aerith and Zack having sex. They were only a floor below him, he having taken the top most bedroom his first night here. And it wouldn’t have been hard to hear the bed creaking or a fleeting pant or moan. He wondered if they had wished for abstinence, if it was in their heart to be chaste. But the way they looked at him sometimes — the way that Zack and especially Aerith would watch him with a hunger that was only kept at bay by their own politeness… No, he couldn’t have been dreaming of that. He dreamt up many things here but not _that_.

So, he ducked a hand under the cover, pushed his underwear down, and closed a fist around himself. He kept it slow, just feeling at first. He wanted to sink in the gravity of his own desires, but then naturally, his mind began to wander. He imagined Aerith’s lips finding his again and her lovely, calloused hands roaming down the length of his body. She could tease him just with her very being, but this time, she teased with her words and her touches. Her nakedness against his own as Zack— _O-oh, Zack…_

Zack would be behind him, touching and groping everywhere he could reach. Cloud imagined Zack slowly rocking into him as Aerith watched, as Aerith plied Cloud’s mind with sinful sweet nothings. Cloud sucked in a shuddering breath and clenched around nothing. His own arousal made each pump of his fist easier. The covers bobbed over his lazy movements until his thoughts became too much. His hand moved with more enthusiasm as the delicate scene in his mind evolved.

There were bites and harsh fucking, hair pulling and aggressive panting. Him inside of Aerith, her inside of _him_ , pounding with a confidence that made up her very being. And a weak moan left him at the thought of that. Having one o-or even both take him like that, leaving him mindless and drunk on his own arousal —

Cloud clenched his teeth together and arched his back high off the bed. He fought down the near cry that threatened to leave him as he came under his bedsheets. The orgasm left him trembling, and he suspected that his own forced silence added something to that as well. With a shaky sigh, he wiped his hand on the sheets, which he then cast aside. He pulled his underwear down the rest of the way before shucking it to the floor as well. He laid there naked in the moonlight and only somewhat satisfied. He rested an arm against his forehead as he caught his breath. Maybe if he slept, he could put it out of his mind once and for all. Overthinking things wouldn’t get him anywhere.

But the desires of his partners would. Being around them for so long made him sensitive to their actions and to the words left unsaid. At first, whatever he learned or heard could have been accredited to the bond, but he knew that he was learning Zack and Aerith on his own. That knowledge was paying off. He had learned Zack’s moods and what his different degrees of smiles meant, and Aerith was as expressive with her body as she was with her words.

Zack’s gaze lingered on Cloud, especially when they both finished intense manual labour. His hugs lasted longer, and Cloud was absolutely certain the squeeze that came before each parting was no accident. Aerith’s fingers splayed slowly across Cloud’s palm, the very act of hand holding coming with a deeper meaning. Her own eyes would set long on his face, and there was a curve in her smile that made him think… _things_. They both wanted, no, needed something from him, and he knew the best way to avoid any misunderstanding would be to ask.

There was no reason for him to hesitate anymore. All he could do was move forward.

Cloud let himself read into things. When doubt set in, he waited a day to endure more looks, more touches, more weighty kisses that always conjured a whimper in his throat. Maybe he was teasing himself at this rate, but at least he wasn’t alone. He waited for a night when the sky wasn’t as clear, when the moon was hidden by his namesake, before he took the plunge. Cloud took a nice, long shower beforehand to get his thoughts together. The clean scent of soap kept him grounded; the grasping touch of his own hands over his form reminded him that they would replaced soon enough. Hopefully, if he was lucky.

He stood outside of Zack and Aerith’s bedroom door in a thin, unbuttoned shirt and roomy pajama pants. His fist was poised to knock; he held it suspended in the air, needing just a moment more to steel his resolve. And it was good that he waited because if he hadn’t, he would have missed a distant moan that floated through the air. But it… it wasn’t coming from the bedroom. Cloud’s brows furrowed, and he lowered his hand to go investigate.

Down the stairs and then the narrow hall. The sound of someone’s enjoyment was becoming clearer to him now. It wasn’t very loud, but it was enough to provide a reliable lead. Cloud’s hand found the door to the sunroom left ajar. He pushed it open and was greeted with a sight that immediately pulled a moan from his own throat.

Aerith was slumped back into the plush cushions of a wicker chair. Her legs were held up and open, her fingers buried deep in Zack’s wild black hair. She was panting as she tried to keep down her noises. The odd keen or call of Zack’s name managed to escape her, even still. But upon hearing another moan outside of their own, Aerith leaned her head back. Zack lifted up his head, and in the lantern light, it was easy to see how slick his mouth was. Cloud’s legs felt just a little shaky.

Zack smiled at him and licked his lips. He looked up to Aerith before saying, “Guess the secret’s out, huh?”

Cloud was only vaguely aware of how he closed the space between them. Aerith’s chest rose and fell deeply while she had a brief reprieve. She moved a hand from Zack’s hair to reach for Cloud. He took it easily and then brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles.

“You’ve been… downstairs this whole time?” he asked

Aerith laughed breathily. “We didn’t want to disturb you.” Cloud looked from Aerith to Zack and back again. She rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. “Do you… want to join us?”

Another flick back and forth between his partner’s faces. There was absolutely no way he was going to turn this down, and Zack’s impish wink at him only nailed in his decision. He nodded his head and breathed out an affirmation. Just as they had before, they welcomed him into the fold. Their hands coaxed him closer. Zack’s lips found his, and Cloud moaned into the kiss at the taste of Aerith. He soon got his own taste of her when he was coaxed down onto the floor. She rode his face with attentive carefulness as Zack’s slick fingers worked him open.

It was a slow build like this. Cloud was never left on his own for very long. Someone’s hands were guiding him; someone’s lips spilled compliments. Moans filled the air with he song of his name. _This_ was truly everything… Everything he wanted and more. Aerith combed her fingers through his hair, riding on Cloud as Zack thrust into the blond. His hand smoothed up Aerith’s stomach, and Cloud watched the two watching him. In their bliss, they smiled down at him. Nothing but want and adoration in their eyes. When they found peaks, it happened in a domino effect with Cloud being last but never far behind.

Zack grabbed a blanket from one of the pieces of wicker furniture and laid it out so that they could all rest on top of it. Cloud stared up through the glass ceiling of the sunroom, admiring the twinkle of stars that slipped past the clouds. Aerith was resting against one side, Zack stretched out on the other. A companionable silence befell them. At least until Zack sighed deeply and said,

“Yeah, this is better.”

Aerith nodded her head before pressing a kiss against Cloud’s chest. “Much better.”

Cloud couldn’t help but agree. He let his eyes fall closed as he enjoyed the company of his partners flanking him. Verbal honesty wasn’t exactly his forte; he worked best with his body and his actions, but he couldn’t help but agree.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” he muttered. And even though the sun wasn’t out, he was warmed from within when he felt them smile.


End file.
